CLOCKWORK ORANGE REGGIE BUSH RACKS UP 335 ALL-PURPOSE YARDS, SCORES TWO TOUCHDOWNS UCLA, A 23-POINT UNDERDOG, CAN'T CATCH BREAKS ON FUMBLE CALLS USC SECURES PERFECT REGULAR SEASON, LIKELY ORANGE BOWL BERTH.

Byline: Scott Wolf  Staff Writer

PASADENA - Virtually alone at his locker stall, Pete Carroll put on a crisp blue shirt as he got ready to leave the Rose Bowl on Saturday night.

``It's the only blue shirt I own,'' Carroll said.

There are no coincidences in Carroll's life, and breaking out a blue shirt wasn't one either, although it might have been worn more as a sign of respect than laughter following top-ranked USC's not-what-it-expected 29-24 victory over UCLA in front of 88,442.

Carroll certainly wasn't worried about the future because he knew the Trojans were headed to the Orange Bowl and the national championship game. Maybe that's because Orange Bowl officials passed out patches to USC players to sew onto their jerseys for the Jan. 4 game.

``We've told them unofficially they'll be in our game,'' said Keith Tribble, chief executive officer of the Orange Bowl. ``They started No. 1 and won every game. I expect them to be there.''

Official word comes this afternoon, but it's considered a foregone conclusion, according to BCS analyst Jerry Palm.

``USC is fine. The Orange Bowl is set with USC and Oklahoma,'' Palm said. ``USC is so far ahead, there would have to be a complete (poll) voter rebellion.''

Even the normally cautious Carroll expressed his true feelings after the Trojans' sixth consecutive victory over the Bruins.

``It would be kind of nice to go to an Orange Bowl after what happened last year,'' Carroll said. ``If it doesn't work out, I'm seceding from the union.''

The Trojans (12-0) will play No. 2 Oklahoma, but for a few tenuous moments Saturday, they wondered whether they were headed to Miami after being pushed to the edge by the Bruins (6-5). It didn't matter that USC staggered into the championship game instead of waltzing.

``This last game in itself is an experience,'' Carroll said. ``I learned that last year. There's a lot going on when you have to win the last game. The pressure is more obvious. I think we got outplayed in the second half. It was a great day for the rivalry.''

Thanks to a dazzling effort by USC tailback Reggie Bush, who broke off Heisman-worthy touchdown runs of 65 and 81 yards, the Trojans cruised to a 20-10 halftime lead. But the Bruins came back and cut the lead to 23-17 with 1:35 left in the third quarter on a 9-yard run by Manuel White.

``At 23-17, that was a little hairy for us,'' Carroll said.

Ryan Killeen kicked his fifth field goal of the game to give the Trojans a 29-17 advantage with 3:49 remaining, but the Bruins scored again on a 4-yard reception by Marcedes Lewis with 2:20 left.

Bush fumbled (for the seventh consecutive game) with 53 seconds left at the Bruins' 15-yard line, but quarterback Drew Olson's next pass was intercepted by USC safety Jason Leach to put the game away.

Just like so many other games, the Trojans said they never panicked.

``It wasn't an easy win,'' linebacker Matt Grootegoed said. ``We thought we had them, but it was emotionally draining. Our special teams struggled, our offense sputtered, we gave up some yards on defense. We didn't play our best game. But we came out ahead.''

It's all literally a game for Carroll, who relished his first close encounter with the Bruins in four meetings. The first three were won by an average of 25 points.

``I like games like this,'' Carroll said. ``There's so much more coaching going on. There's so many more decisions. We were in control the whole time. I felt in control. We did what championship teams had to do.''

Carroll even shook his head and smiled after UCLA completed a 39-yard pass on its final touchdown drive.

``We made it so dramatic,'' Carroll said. ``We wanted to get that done right there. It was fitting we finished on defense (on Leach's interception).''

The Trojans controlled most of the game, with little thanks to the offense in the second half. Quarterback Matt Leinart did not throw a touchdown pass for the first time as a starter (25 games), and the receivers dropped several easy catches.

``Yeah, I'm frustrated,'' USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. ``I don't know what the problem was. We dropped passes, we fumbled the ball.''

If Leinart shined against Notre Dame, he was just average against UCLA.

``I was a little out of rhythm at times because they were bringing pressure,'' said Leinart, who was sacked three times.

USC's usual second-half rout never materialized.

``The second half we usually reign and we didn't this time, but we played the way we had to,'' center Ryan Kalil said.

A four-point loss sounded like a moral victory, but UCLA wasn't satisfied with the outcome.

``It felt like we could have won this game,'' UCLA safety Jarrad Page said. ``That's what's so disappointing. It hurts way more (than the last two).''

-- Reggie Bush racks up 335 all-purpose yards, scores two touchdowns

-- UCLA, a 23-point underdog, can't catch breaks on fumble calls

-- USC secures perfect regular season, likely Orange Bowl berth

Scott Wolf, [phone]

scott.wolf(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) USC's Reggie Bush is chased by four UCLA defenders on his way to a 205-yard rushing performance.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

(2) Reggie Bush does a somersault into the end zone to cap the first of his two touchdown runs Saturday.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

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